Chrysostomides Advocates & Legal Consultants

The firm: As a trusted partner, our firm supports clients in navigating the ever-changing legal landscape and helps them explore, keep pace with and benefit from the wealth of opportunities offered by emerging economies, the global movement of people and capital, new technologies and knowledge.
From offices in Nicosia and Limassol, our team of more than 80 legal professionals and operations services members assists clients from all around the world, helping them grow their businesses, protect their assets and settle disputes.

For our team of legal experts, reaching a successful solution is not just a matter of knowledge of the law and technical capability; it is also about knowing our clients’ businesses and understanding what drives their industries and markets. Our firm’s integrated, specialised departments provide a comprehensive approach to any multi-faceted deal or dispute. Our intellectual capital is enhanced by technology and digital transformation, as we embrace automation to streamline tasks and procedures, enabling us to provide legal services in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

The core values that our firm was founded on are the driving forces behind how we operate today and form the heart of our firm's culture and philosophy. Our people-centric focus is reflected both inherently within the firm itself and in our commitment to our clients. We strive to create a positive and inclusive working environment that allows all our members to succeed, whatever their background. We are proud of our proactive, creative and diverse team; a team that is passionate about delivering excellent services to our clients and feels privileged to do so.

Global reach: The ever-changing legal landscape requires in-depth understanding of local economies and businesses, laws, regulations, governments, cultures and trends. Our firm’s exclusive Cyprus membership to leading international law firm and service provider networks Lex Mundi and World Services Croup (‘WSG’) respectively, as well as our close and longstanding cooperation with several international law firms, avail our clients of seamless cross-border solutions and provide our firm with an international outreach. Lex Mundi provides our clients with preferred access to more than 21,000 lawyers around the world, all from a single point of contact. The WSG network offers worldwide integrated legal, investment banking and accounting services.

Through the firm's global connectivity, our clients can draw on local expertise and Insight from across the globe, which will help them navigate the business and legal environment of their Industry sector.

Impact: We are committed to having a positive impact on society and the environment, in the same way that we are committed to providing excellent legal services. Sustainability is a key driver that shapes our firm's objectives.

Our members are encouraged to undertake pro bono work, particularly in relation to projects and matters that support the public interest. We aim to facilitate access to legal advice and to make our knowledge and expertise available to those organisations and individuals that lack the resources to obtain them. In the process and in return, our lawyers receive invaluable experience and personal fulfilment for having contributed to a positively impactful project.

Our firm’s membership to Lex Mundi means we are affiliated to the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation, created to support and empower those working on high impact, sustainable solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges. Alongside the other 150+ member law firms in more than 120 countries, our firm can be matched to legal projects with social entrepreneurs who are pioneering new and creative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

We place great emphasis on corporate social responsibility matters; our initiatives include donations to charities and fundraising activities. We are actively working on improving the sustainability of our offices and reducing the environmental footprint of our operations. Our firm’s green initiative includes energy efficiency, recycling and circular waste management.

Areas of practice
Banking and secured financing: We provide comprehensive and specialised support on all banking-related matters, covering new or revised products and services introduced by credit institutions. We are frequently instructed to advise on cross¬border high-value financing and refinancing transactions, including project financing, syndicated, subordinated and mezzanine financing, ship financing and related securities such as share pledges, floating charges, financial collateral and mortgages.

Blockchain and cryptoassets: We advise on issues specific to cryptoassets and blockchain technology, such as AML/KYC and GDPR, Initial Coin Offerings and Security Token Offerings for issuers, as well as regulatory licensing for Crypto-Asset Service Providers. The team brings together legal expertise pooled from multiple disciplines across the firm, including our financial services, intellectual property, technology law, data protection, corporate and commercial practices

Competition law: Our specialised team deals with a wide range of EU and domestic competition law and anti-cartel matters. It has guided clients through significant corporate and commercial transactions, including the facilitation of mergers and acquisitions, and it boasts a strong record of success in the clearance of such transactions by the Cyprus Commission for the Protection of Competition. Our practice is also widely acknowledged for its leading expertise in matters of competition litigation.

Constitutional, public and administrative law: We have long-established experience in handling recourses before the Supreme Court and the Administrative Court, often raising unprecedented and novel points of constitutional and administrative law. The recourses involve, among others, administrative decisions for the appointment and promotion of public servants, the imposition of tax, planning or building permits, social insurance benefits and permanent residency applications. We frequently advise regulated corporate clients, public and governmental bodies on the interpretation and application of laws and regulations, and the implementation of fair procedures in fulfilling statutory functions, in conformity with the Constitution and the laws of the European Union.

Corporate and commercial law: Our firm advises on all aspects of corporate and commercial law and practice, and has worked on some of the most high-profile and high-value transactions involving Cypriot corporate structures. We offer the full range of corporate services and advice, from the start-up to the completion of incorporation, the annual operation, compliance, restructures and dissolution of companies.

Cross-border transactions, M&A and restructures: Our team has extensive experience in cross-border transactions involving Cyprus-based entities, whether as part of a wider corporate consolidation, or equity, debt or secured financing restructuring, or tax efficiency planning. We offer expertise in structuring, negotiating and completing joint ventures, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, transfers of corporate seats, the establishment of mutual funds and venture capital investments.

Data protection law: Our firm specialises in all aspects of Cypriot Data Protection legislation and the corresponding European regulations. We advise both local and international clients regarding their obligations under data protection legislation arising from their working practices and internal policies, as well as deal with procedural matters before the competent authorities, such as the filing of required notifications and applications for licences.

Distribution, commercial and franchise agreements: We have wide-ranging experience in drafting distribution, commercial and franchise agency agreements, reviewing and advising on the compliance of such agreements with Cypriot law, as well as in advising on matters such as termination, post-contractual compensation, competition law issues, public procurement and intellectual property licensing matters. We advise principals, distributors, franchisors, franchisees and commercial agents alike.

Employment, immigration and citizenship law: Our employment law department advises across the full spectrum of employment, compensation and benefits issues, whether arising in an advisory or transactional context, contentious or non-contentious. Our firm also provides assistance when non-EU citizens are to be employed in executive positions with companies belonging to foreign interests. Our involvement in immigration law and procedures extends to applications for permanent residency, as well as Cypriot citizenship for those who are eligible.

Energy law: We have been advising leading international companies within the energy industry for over two decades, covering numerous sectors, including oil exploration, natural gas, power, and renewables. Our advice extends to all transactional aspects of corporate ventures within the energy sector, with the firm’s long-standing experience in corporate and commercial law, finance, tax and competition law, ensuring the delivery of seamless service within the sector.

European Union law: Our EU law practice lawyers have an in-depth understanding of EU institutions and policies and combine extensive experience in both the private and public sector. They assist clients with achieving their business objectives, offering representation across the main regulatory fields governed by EU law, including competition, trade, environment, free movement of goods and services, consumer protection, privacy, and data protection.

Family law: Our family law team advises on all family law matters – divorce and separation, child custody, maintenance and care disputes, adoption, cohabitation, alimony, asset separation and management, pre-nuptial, and post-nuptial agreements. Our lawyers are experienced litigators, some with over 25 years in this field, as well as negotiators – both necessary qualities for achieving a successful outcome.

Human Rights law: We are the first Cyprus firm to have submitted high-profile applications before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, and we continue to be involved in the preparation, submission and hearings before the ECHR of applications concerning alleged violations of human rights for local and international clients.

Intellectual property law: We have more than 40 years’ experience in IP law and our team delivers a complete range of services in all fields of IP, including trademark, patent, design, and copyright law. Our experienced professionals provide our clients with sophisticated service, which includes IP support and counselling, as well as litigation.

Investment services and funds: Our team advises on and assists clients with the setting-up, licensing, passporting of services and regulatory compliance of Investment Firms, UCITS, AIF, as well as the managers of these funds. We also advise on related services, including the re-domiciliation of the funds and its managers, and listing of the funds on regulated and unregulated markets.

Litigation, arbitration and mediation: Our dispute resolution team is experienced in identifying and implementing the most appropriate solutions for our clients, either by pursuing or defending litigation, or other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, like arbitration and mediation. Our lawyers deal with highly complex cases in areas including business, commercial and corporate law, tax and finance, intellectual property, professional liability, antitrust, banking and finance, family law, administrative and criminal law.

Public and private international law: We advise clients on the application and interpretation of international treaties and conventions entered into by Cyprus, especially concerning foreign investments, mutual assistance in civil and criminal law matters, international arbitration conventions, multilateral treaties on the Law of the Sea and similar instruments.

Shipping and maritime law: Our broad and varied experience in shipping and maritime law matters, ranges from representation of clients in maritime disputes, including vessel arrests, cargo carriage disputes, construction and re-building disputes, commercial/contractual claims, collisions, salvage and insurance claims, to involvement in procedural matters before the Cyprus maritime authorities.

Taxation law: Our firm has the expertise and experience to design, implement and defend tax planning structures built around the Cyprus tax regime. We strive to enhance tax efficiency, risk reduction and avoidance of tax controversy, effectively and efficiently, in matters involving corporate tax, property tax, personal tax, employment taxes, VAT and customs duties.

Telecommunications, media and technology law: Our technology, media and telecommunications team includes lawyers with expertise on a broad range of areas underpinning the interdisciplinary field of technology, including regulatory issues, data protection and privacy, e-commerce, cybersecurity and IP. We offer our clients, whether start-ups or established technology enterprises, legal advice ranging from support in corporate transactions to IP protection, regulatory compliance, employment, tax, e-commerce, electronic payments as well as wider contracting issues.

Trusts, wills and succession: We offer comprehensive succession planning legal services to serve clients’ personal or business requirements, whether in transitioning or maintaining and maximizing the value of their assets. Our team of seasoned lawyers, some with over 25 years’ experience in this field, addresses all matters at hand when structuring succession planning solutions, taking into account all-important tax considerations, ownership, future targets and challenges and continuity.